TV series The Orville

The series The Orville is an American TV show created by Seth MacFarlane and premiered on September 10th 2017 on the Fox network in the United States and simultaneously on the Citytv2 network in Canada.

It's a science-fiction drama set in a future, where Earth is part of a larger community of civilizations that coexist in the universe in a peaceful way. The story takes place around a medium-class space ship called Orville and its crew.

Plot

In the 25th century, Earth is part of the Planetary Union with an extended civilization, advanced and above all peaceful and comprises a fleet of approximately 3000 vessels. Among them the Orville, a modern spacecraft led by Captain Ed Mercer (portrait by Seth MacFarlane, the producer of the show), determined to prove his worthiness and to write a new chapter in his life, backed by an eccentric crew.

Cast

Main actors

• Seth MacFarlane as Captain Ed Mercer
• Adrianne Palicki as Commander Kelly Grayson
• Penny Johnson Jerald as Dr. Claire Finn
• Scott Grimes as Lieutenant Gordon Malloy. Scott Grimes was acknowledged in the movie Critters, when he was at the age of fifteen.

Continuity

The first season is considered by fans to be lighthearted, with the focus on jokes similar to these found in Family Guy, which is also produced by Seth MacFarlane. Season two started much darker and had fewer jokes but more blood and killings. Later episodes of season two followed what season one was like.

Crossover between Family Guy and The Orville

Some episodes of Family Guy mentioned The Orville. Many fans of both shows expect that at some point in the near future a crossover between Family Guy and The Orville should take place.

Star Trek references

Some actors from the Star Trek franchise took part in The Orville. Jonathan Frakes and Robert Duncan McNeill already directed episodes of The Orville. While actors like Roberto Picardo (the EMH of Voyager) or John Billingsley, portraying Dr. Phlox in Enterprise or Tim Russ (playing a Vulcan officer onboard the USS Voyager) already had a role in The Orville. Apparently Seth MacFarlane likes to have actors from the Star Trek universe in his show.